How I Happen to be a Practising Herbalist

coming back from a messy harvest

I was born in England and true to my adventurous childhood spent in Africa, Switzerland and Paris, I continued getting my life degree by hitchhiking around Europe installing interactive art sculptures before finally settling in the United States to raise a family.

It was through the study and implementation of permaculture based food gardens that I became entranced with medicinal herbs. Reminiscent of walking through the hawthorn and elder hedgerows of England as a child - where I would taste the weeds to see if they were "good" or "bad" - the plants called me deep into the world of herbalism. While doling out herbal brews and tinctures to family and friends I decided to take my passion seriously and started going to extensive herbal conferences, attending classes and fortunately studying for a year with the formidable herbalist Matthew Wood at the School of Traditional Western Herbalism. While I was letting this all sink in i deepened my connection with the green intelligence culminating my education in a year long forest medicine intensive with Scott Kloos and the School of Forest Medicine.

It became clear that this love for medicinal herbs and holistic healing had become a calling so I started to practice professionally and lead plant walks on Camano. Boosted by the positive feedback of my community I joined forces with the local herb shop "Tea with your Dragon" where I now teach herbal classes, see clients as well as being available for "walk in's" every Thursday afternoon.

I am active in the American Herbalist Guild, founder of The Green Gathering, a Washington based annual herb festival, as well as educating young and old with plant walks, wildcrafting skills and medicine making classes at various herbal conferences in the Pacific Northwest. You might have heard me over the airwaves as the creator of The Herb Hunter, a weekly broadcasted radio show for KSER about my wildcrafting adventures, now approaching its third year!. Ultimately my goal is to bring the people to the plants, the plants to the people, in so deepening and healing our reconnection to our mother earth. Vivas Las Plantas!